


Twins Across Lines

by Moonalight



Series: Laughing Magician [1]
Category: Constantine (TV), Criminal Minds (US TV), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26537488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonalight/pseuds/Moonalight
Summary: John didn't think four bodies would lead to an apparently unknown twin of his.
Series: Laughing Magician [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935307
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	Twins Across Lines

******  
John was no stranger to the law. Several times over the years he’d found himself wearing cuffs. Typically those occasions were the result of his unique job though. You know, the demonologist, exorcist, and dark arts bit. So on, so forth, you get the idea. 

There would always be doubters. People who turned every dark wisp of evil back at him. Accusations were ripe especially among the religious, so such accessories weren’t that uncommon for him. 

But usually these instances didn’t include a concrete cell and one way mirror. 

Suited men had picked him up at a bar. Why? Because he’d been asking questions. It wasn’t really a big deal. Horrifically, sometimes the work of humans can present as a demon. This was one of those situations. 

Four bodies, terrible details, blah, blah, blah, and the expert appears. Does a bit of digging, discovers no interesting parts pertaining to his skillset, and stops to get a drink. Naturally they had to pick him up when he was at the bottom of a bottle. 

He’d been left chained to an interrogation table to sober up. A cup of water was the only abnormality in the room. Everything else was unmarred, cold, and completely blank. It was sort of depressing. Even hell had a more interesting decorator. Considering that was where most blokes that wound up in the cell went, it was strange to consider it a step up. 

John still wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Are you back with us?” Even if he understood their reasoning for it, the warlock had no reason to be pleasant with the guy that decided to finally make contact with him. As such, he scowled deeply at the black male. Clearly he hadn’t run afoul with normal law enforcement this time. The FBI badge clipped to one of the guy’s belt loops proved as much. 

“Never left, mate.” John forced his face into a false smile. It was better to appear reasonable. He didn’t have any actual records, but who knew what the FBI were after. There was a reason he didn’t mix with government forces. 

“You seemed pretty far gone when my men picked you up at the bar,” the man bit back, raising a brow in judgement, “Can’t stomach the details of what you were looking into?”

That had him laughing. Oh, the things he could stomach-demons being one of them. No. That hadn’t been why he was drinking himself to unconsciousness. Things had just been a little tough recently is all. “Perhaps I could get a name first before telling you about my evening?”

He noted the way his lopsided face twisted slightly at his mocking tone. The small twinge of suggestion was intentional as well. Not many would pick up on it, but judging by the mark on this guy’s holster...

“Sam Cooper,” was the name he was offered, inclining his head slightly, “leader of an FBI red cell. One of the heads for the serial case you were looking into.”

Sam waited, clearly intending to hear his introduction. He wasn’t about to make it easy for the guy though. Grabbing him with no charges, no reason? John might just be a little bitter. 

“What’re you waiting for? You have my card, I assume?” He felt decidingly vindictive. It was a pleasure to watch the religious man cringe and nod. 

“Demonologist, warlock, master of the dark arts, certified exorcist, and a few others I don’t even know,” Sam repeated in agreement. He sighed, shaking his head and pulling at the opposite chair without sitting down, “John Constantine.”

“Bingo,” he grinned, finally getting the introduction he wanted as he leaned back comfortably in his own chair, “now, mind telling me what I’m being charged with?”

“Why were you asking questions about the serial killer we’re after?” A file was dropped onto the table pointedly, emblazoned with a large ‘classified’ stamp. Despite that, there were several pictures paperclipped to the outside. Pictures of the crime scenes and victims. It was such an obvious test John wanted to laugh again. 

Trying to gauge his reaction to seeing the carnage? Wouldn’t work even if he was responsible. The warlock had quite the poker face, not including the horrors he’d seen in his life. Though it seemed his calmness already spoke of something if the way Sam was frowning meant anything. 

Whoops. Maybe he shouldn’t have been able to be so calm looking at such images. Oh well. 

“Like my card said,” John settled again, grinning and shrugging his shoulders casually, “Exorcist, mate. I wanted to see if your bodies were the work of demons. They weren’t, so I just popped off for a drink. A drink you interrupted on no grounds...”

It was clear he was believed to be a con man. That was fine, just so long as they don’t try to pin him for the murders. 

“We actually had a reason to bring you in,” the agent told him, heading for the door again, “one you’d probably be interested in.” 

That had John curious. He sat up a little straighter, watching the man walk away carefully. Sure, it wasn’t very likely, but if the FBI thought he’d find something interesting? It had to be a curious matter indeed. 

“And what would that be?” He asked the question tonelessly, displaying boredom even as he started to itch to know the reason. But Sam was walking away from him, leaving him without an answer. 

Until he opened the interrogation room door, and John had his answer. 

“Bloody hell...” It took a lot to make the warlock speechless. Sacrifice, surprise visits from dead friends, rhyming demons-

He could now add finding people with his face to that list. 

“Right back at you, mate,” the brunette version of himself was just as speechless. They just stared at each other for a second, taking the other in while Sam watched. Then, John, in possibly the most undignified manner he could manage, planted his face into the table. 

“I must still be drunk,” he muttered against the cool metal, lifting his forehead to let it fall again. The impact hurt, but it also was sobering. He did it again a few more times. It was cathartic. Especially considering if he looked up, he’d see a wacky fun house mirror version of himself.

He did it again for good measure.

“I wish I was drunk,” he heard basically his own voice say just across the table from him. John lifted his head at that, staring at his doppleganger silently for a moment. They really looked alike. Sure, the other John had dark brown hair and slightly younger seeming features, but the warlock was often told he looked older than he actually was. The two could be the same age when you considered that fact.

Finally, he decided to act. The cuffs fell uselessly down the table leg with a metallic clatter, making the two in the room with him jump as he reached into his jacket. What could he say? He knew some normal tricks too.

Out from his inner pocket he pulled a silver flask, offering it up to his double with a slightly hysterical wave. Once the drink was safely in the other’s grasp, he returned his head to the table. 

What was even happening?

“Believe in dopplegangers?” John started it off conversationally; drastically different from his position of making out with the table. When a humm of denial answered, he raised his head slightly.

Brown eyes so much like his own stared right back. They were eyes that had seen things; things no normal person had. If he was just blonde, he would be a dead ringer for him. 

“Lost twins then?” He barely kept the crack out of his voice as he asked what they were both likely thinking. Just the idea was hard to entertain. Because that meant his mother had not one, but two sons. His mother, who he had killed. But he’d never heard anything about this-not that his father would’ve ever told him. 

“...I was adopted,” the second John said evenly, though there was a fire in his eyes, “you?”

“Long story,” he returned, feeling antsy now that he didn’t know how this was going to go. Because it was impossible, wasn’t it? He’d have known if he had a secret twin brother.

“What’s your name?” John asked it against his better judgement. There was this little niggle in him, pushing him to look into this. It was usually the feeling he got before he stumbled on a massacre, or a girl’s upset boyfriend.

“Mick.” They just stared for another second. Then something thudded on the table between them. Together they looked, gazing at the DNA test kit with a fragile hope neither of them seemed to want to kindle. 

“I think you understand now,” Sam said, heading out of the room without another word after. It seemed they were alone...When you excluded the one way mirror he had undoubtedly moved to in order to watch that is. 

Not that it mattered. Neither of them moved for a second, searching for something in each other. 

Then, without any indication of what he was thinking, John reached for the kit. He didn’t notice Mick’s small smile, really. He was just curious. He just wanted to know if he really had family; a brother. A twin he’d never known about. 

They still didn’t speak as John took the phone offered to him. Three seconds later, and his private number was saved onto the device. Then a swap, and he had the agent’s number in his phone. 

It was like speaking would break whatever was growing between them. This tiny flame that could so easily be smothered by a breeze. So they didn’t let that breeze exist. They didn’t let anything exist as John was escorted out by Sam. 

If they were right, then that flame would be strong enough to have fuel added. If they were wrong, then the fire wasn’t necessary in the first place. 

John wanted it to be needed.

**Author's Note:**

> It's just one of those typical stories where an actor's two characters are twins. A bit of fun!


End file.
